Heritage & Prestigious

Rhodes House, Oxford

Project Value – £4.4million

Start Date – Jan’ 2021

Completion – Aug’ 2023

Dating from the 1920’s, Rhodes house in Oxford is a grade II* listed building and is the headquarters of the Rhodes Trust educational charity.

The Rhodes Trust was established in 1902 and supports scholars from across the world to study at the University of Oxford.

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Axiom Building Services were engaged by the main contractors, Beard Construction, to carry out the full design, supply and installation of all mechanical and electrical services required to facilitate the scheme.

With award winning architectural design by Stanton Williams, the renovation of the building included the construction of three new basements housing a 300-capacity conference centre, 16 new guest bedrooms facing onto a sunken courtyard and an open plan office for up to 70 people.

The conference centre uses the latest in digital infrastructure and technology to allow audiences from around the world to participate and collaborate virtually. The high-spec, state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities include LED video walls, large format high-definition screens and joinery which conceals speakers, cameras and microphones – allowing seamless in-person and remote audience participation.

A pavilion, big enough to house 50 people, has been built in the gardens and features all-glass walls with no steel supports, and a green roof. The temperature is regulated by automatic solar shading blinds and perimeter trench heating/cooling.

A new spiral staircase has been installed inside an existing marble-clad rotunda and leads down from the ground level foyer to the basement conference centre.

The east wing of the existing Rhodes House has also been refurbished, returning it to its original residential use with 21 en-suite bedrooms and two new kitchens, while new electrical services, architectural lighting and energy efficient heating systems for the entire building have been installed and its original Blenheim stone exterior cleaned and repaired. All services throughout the building have been replaced and the historic finishes gently restored, including the refurbishment of the original cast iron radiators.

Key to the success of the project was the coordination of the M&E services design and integration with the architectural features, such as listed structures retained or newly formed elements such as the coffered, ribbed and vaulted ceilings of the conference hall.

A focus on sustainability has seen the existing building services replaced with high performance modern equivalents, significantly reducing the building’s carbon footprint. These technologies include combined heat and power systems, LED lighting throughout, and an air-source geothermal system that maintains thermal comfort and reduces reliance on gas and electricity sources.

Axiom Building Services were responsible for the full design, supply and installation of all MEP services as listed below.

  • Part L Analysis (BRUKL/EPC)
  • HVAC Services
  • Air Source Heat Pumps
  • Heat Interface Units/Heating Sub Stations
  • Gas Fired CHP
  • HWS Calorifiers
  • Chilled Water
  • DX Cooling
  • Public Health (Domestic Water & Above Ground Drainage)
  • CAT5 Water Supply
  • Supply & Extract Ventilation with Heat Recovery
  • Natural Ventilation (Integration with Earth Tube Systems)
  • Extract Only Ventilation
  • Building Management Systems (BMS)
  • Internal & External Lighting
  • Architectural Feature Lighting (with concept design by Studio Fractal)
  • Emergency Lighting
  • Small Power & Data Installations
  • Access Control, Security & CCTV
  • Fire Alarm
  • Disabled Assistance & Refuge Systems
  • Lightning Protection
  • Earthing & Bonding
  • Energy Monitoring/Metering

The Rhodes House project was complex and presented many challenges, particularly in how we were able to coordinate the services within the architecture of the building. It was a fantastic project and all of us at Axiom are very proud to have been involved in successfully delivering this world class facility

Gavin Kruk
Director

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